Bread Street Ward

Introduction

Bread Street Ward is east of Castle Baynard Ward and Farringdon Within Ward. The ward takes its name from its main street, Bread Street, ſo called of bread in olde time there ſold (Stow 1603).
1720: Blome’s Map of Bread Street Ward and Cordwainer Street Ward. Image courtesy of British Library Crace Collection. 
                © British Library Board; Maps Crace Port. 8.10
1720: Blome’s Map of Bread Street Ward and Cordwainer Street Ward. Image courtesy of British Library Crace Collection. © British Library Board; Maps Crace Port. 8.10

Links to Chapters in the Survey of London

1603 Description of Ward Boundaries

The following diplomatic transcription of the opening paragraph(s) of the 1603 chapter on this ward will eventually be subsumed into the MoEML edition of the 1603 Survey.1 Each ward chapter opens with a narrative circumnavigation of the ward—a verbal beating of the bounds that MoEML first transcribed in 2004 and later used to facilitate the drawing of approximate ward boundaries on our edition of the Agas map. Source: John Stow, A Survey of London (London, 1603; STC #23343).
BRedſtreete ward beginneth in the high ſtreete of weſt Cheape, to wit, on the ſouth ſide, from the Standard to the great Croſſe. Then is alſo a part of Watheling ſtreete of this warde, to wit, from ouer againſt the Red Lion on the North ſide vp almoſt to Powles gate, for it lacketh but one houſe of S. Auguſtines church. And on the ſouth ſide from the red Lion gate to the Old Exchange, and downe the ſame Exchange on the Eaſt ſide, by the weſt end of Mayden lane, or Diſtar lane, to Knightriders ſtreete, or as they call that part thereof, Old Fiſhſtreet. And all the north ſide of the ſaid old Fiſhſtreete, to the South ende of Bredſtreete, and by that ſtill in Knightriders ſtreete, till ouer againſt the Trinitie Church, and Trinitie lane. Then is Bredſtréet it ſelfe, ſo called of bread in olde time there ſold: for it appeareth by recordes, that in the yeare 1302. which was the 30. of E. firſt, the Bakers of London were bounden to ſell no bread in their ſhops or houſes, but in the market, and that they ſhould haue 4. Hall motes in the yeare, at foure ſeuerall terms, to determine of enormities belonging to the ſaid Company.
This ſtreete giuing the name to the whole warde, beginneth in weſt Chepe, almoſt by the Standarde, and runneth downe ſouth, through or thwart Watheling ſtreet, to Knightriders ſtréet aforeſaide where it endeth. This Bredſtreet is wholy on both ſides of this warde. Out of the which ſtreet on the Eaſt ſide is Baſing lane, a peece whereof to wit, too and ouer againſt the backe gate of the Red Lion in Watheling ſtreete, is of this Bredſtreete ward.
Then is Fryday ſtreete beginning alſo in weſt Cheape, and runneth downe South through Watheling ſtreet to Knightrider ſtreete, or olde Fiſhſtreet. This Friday ſtreete is of Bredſtreet ward, on the eaſt ſide from ouer againſt the northeaſt corner of S. Mathewes church, and on the weſt ſide from the ſouth corner of the ſaid church, down as aforeſaid.
In this Fryday ſtreete on the weſt ſide thereof is a Lane, commonly called Mayden Lane, or Diſtaffe lane, corruptly for Diſtar lane, which runneth weſt into the old Exchange: and in this lane is alſo one other lane, on the ſouth ſide thereof, likewiſe called Diſtar lane, which runneth downe to Knightriders ſtréet, or olde Fiſhſtreete: and ſo be the boundes of this whole ward.

Note on Ward boundaries on Agas Map

Ward boundaries drawn on the Agas map are approximate. The Agas map does not lend itself well to georeferencing or georectification, which means that we have not been able to import the raster-based or vector-based shapes that have been generously offered to us by other projects. We have therefore used our drawing tools to draw polygons on the map surface that follow the lines traced verbally in the opening paragraph(s) of each ward chapter in the Survey. Read more about the cartographic genres of the Agas map.

Notes

  1. The 1603 Survey is widely available in reprints of C.L. Kingsford’s two-volume 1908 edition (Kingsford) and also in the British History Online transcription of the Kingsford edition (BHO). MoEML is completing its editions of all four texts in the following order: 1598, 1633, 1618, and 1603. (JJ)

References